Outdoor cooking is an immensely popular activity enjoyed by many people. The burning of combustible fuel pieces from coal to charcoal to wood chips is well known. Common applications include burning charcoal in a backyard barbeque and burning coal lumps in a fire place.
Commonly, the actual combustible material is sold and stored in bulk containers. For instance, a 10 or 20 lb bag of charcoal can be kept in a consumer's garage next to their grill. Chunks of coal or wood may also be shipped in heavy bag containers. In each case, a consumer dispenses a portion of the pieces of combustible material to be burned. For instance, the consumer may pour briquettes from a charcoal bag into a grill then arrange them into a solid pyramid.
There are at least several problems with the foregoing state of the art of handling combustible materials. First, methods of the status quo typically require a consumer to handle a bulk of material such as a large bag of charcoal or coal. These bags may be heavy and dirty. And second, the combustion of these materials is not very efficient. The classic “pile” of charcoal briquettes in a grill burns slowly and inefficiently. This arrangement of charcoal typically requires some accelerant either applied onto or soaked into the briquette mixture. Also, airflow must be handled in order to achieve a quick and even burn. One mechanical solution that is available is a metal chimney that holds the charcoal briquettes that, once burning, are subsequently dumped into a grill.